Fresh off his ELLE debut this month (see page 326 of this month's issue to view Jessica Alba in one of his signature all-leather looks), Jordanian-born designer Rad Hourani may not have the household-name recognition of a Marc or a Karl, but given that this is only his fourth RTW collection and already he packs a venue to capacity with the most avant garde audience I've seen all week speaks volumes about the impression he's made on the industry's tastemakers.

Fortunate enough to have a few minutes with Rad after the models, makeup artists and throngs of friends and fans cleared out of Openhouse Gallery's makeshift backstage area, I asked the designer about his inspiration for this latest collection, how he felt about celebrities in the front row, and though I was in no way complaining, why he sends so much black down the runway.

If you could put anyone on the cover of ELLE, who would it be and which of your designs would she wear?

Oh, that's easy, I'd pick Janete [Friedrich], the model who opened my show. She represents my vision perfectly, which is that beauty is nothing without a little strangeness. I like when magazines take a risk and do something that pushes the boundaries. Janete in one of my designs on the cover of ELLE would definitely be pushing boundaries!

There was a lot of black in this show. Judging from your past two collections, I was expecting pops of red–what made you go so dark this season?

I'm such a night person. There's something that happens in the darkness of night that is very beautiful to me, and I was inspired by that. The past two seasons I've included red, because it is such a timeless, strong color, but this time I thought I'd take a moment of silence and go completely dark. But it wasn't all black this season—there was a lot of navy, too!

Do you have a hand in who sits in your front row?

I am involved in every aspect of the show, from the clothes to the models to who sits in my audience.

What do you think about celebrities attending your shows?

I think celebrity is a funny thing. To me, anyone can be a celebrity or think they're a celebrity. But when they make [their appearance] more about them than the show itself, I have a problem with that. I don't want that at my show.

What are you looking forward to most now that the show is over?

My after-party. The Misshapes will be there!

Speaking of your after-party, the invitation mandates an "all-black" dress code. What would happen if Joe Zee showed up in grey? Would you refuse him entry?

Joe Zee? Joe Zee can do anything he wants. If he shows up in grey, I will let him in. He's been very, very good to me.